


Parasite

by Skull_Bearer



Category: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro, Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, Clone AU, Clones, Dubious Science, Dystopia, F/M, Gen, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Moral Bankruptcy, Never Let Me Go Fix-it fic, Organ Theft, Organ Transplantation, Revolution, This One's Gonna Hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 08:22:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18178220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skull_Bearer/pseuds/Skull_Bearer
Summary: Eddie is a few days away from the last organ donation that'll end his life.Carlton Drake thinks he has found the perfect test subjects for their captured aliens.Some worlds aren't worth saving.





	Parasite

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to dogmatix for the beta. 
> 
> I've always wanted to write a never Let Me Go Fix-it.
> 
> This is gonna get ugly.

Eddie doesn’t recognize the car that pulls into the hospice driveway. He looks dully after it as it pulls around and out of sight from the garden. A black limousine, followed by two SUVs. Some politician or celebrity, maybe, come to check over their investment. Inspect the quality of what they had paid for, or perhaps indulge in something forbidden.

Eddie’s hands clench numbly on the arms of his chair, he turns as much as he can; eyes on the door. His breath rattles in his throat, each one coming in a wheeze he can’t hear, his remaining lung straining under the wild flash of fear.

A crow flutters down to peck at the ground below the window, sleek black beak stabbing into the raw dark earth. The wind picks up and the branches of the apple tree strain against it, metallic red-gold leaves fluttering loose. Eddie looks outside again, trying to devour the scene with his eyes, a few heartbeats of something beautiful before- before-

There’s a flash of disturbed air as the door opens. Eddie feels rather than sees everyone freeze, curl up and huddle away. He closes his eyes. _Please_ , he whispers silently inside his head. _Please_.

A hand snaps around his shoulder and Eddie starts. The breath catches in his lung and his hand white-knuckles on the chair. He turns his head slowly, looking up at the person touching him.

It’s not Carl Brock. Eddie doesn’t know this man but then, that hardly means anything. He’d learned that people outside had newspapers and televisions and even computers to see and know people, but no one in the institution has ever seen anything like that. He doesn’t think there are any secondaries of this man here, anyway.

He’s tall and slender, dark skinned. His hair perfectly styled. Eddie looks at him in dull loathing. He’s a prime, anyway. No one, no matter how eccentric, would dress their secondary in such a beautifully tailored suit. The man is saying something, but Eddie only catches the end of it, can’t make sense of his lips.

Matron is standing beside him, twisting her hands and looking awkward. “It’s not as though they’re- for sale.” She shifts, “You would have to speak to his prime-“

“Get me the details and I will.” The man gives a charming smile. “And a generous donation to your institution, I promise.”

“And you will want- how many?” Matron glances at Eddie, and at the crowd of seconds huddling behind their beds, eyes wide and panicked as prey animals.

“Let’s start with four.” He hand bites down on Eddie’s shoulder, a bit too hard and Eddie winces. “This one to start with- he’s had three donations already, right?”

“Right lung, two rectus femoris- his legs, both eardrums.” Matron nods. “So you won’t need worry about him overhearing anything, but- his prime had him slated for the second lung next week, I will have to-“

“I’ll take care of it,” Another charming smile. “I’m sure we can match him with a stand-in secondary until this one gets back- or he funds a new one.”

Matron is wavering; the man, still smiling, hands her a card. “Please, send any complaints to me, and- hang onto it.” A wink. Matron blushes. “My company is always looking for more funding options, your institution looks very well run, I must say.”

She crumbles. Eddie shivers, has to close his eyes and clench his hands to control himself and wipe his face into impassivity. When he opens them again, Matron is waving the other three over. Dora, with both her eyes missing, clinging desperately to the wall until Matron marches over and impatiently hauls her over to them. Maria; sick and thin even after one donation, the stitches still raw and bare on her stomach. And Annie. Oh no. Not Annie _please_. She throws her head up proudly, tries to glare but fuck she’s so _scared_. Eddie sees her eyes land on him for a moment; he wants to smile, show her that he isn’t scared but-

But he can’t. Because he has no idea what this man is planning for them. At least with the donations- they know. And there is at least anesthetic there, and painkillers after if they survive. At the institute, they are worth something to their prime.

He sees Dan start forward almost by reflex, before two of the other kids he can’t see pull him back. Annie glances back, her mouth moves as if she wants to say something- then Matron hauls her away too. “You want them now?” She pushes them at the man.

“That would be perfect.” He looked them all up and down. Eddie knows that look; he’s gotten them enough from Carl Brock. _Bit skinny, isn’t it? How’s it's eyes, I’m getting short sighted. Get it out more; I need those legs bulked up_.

Maria leans against his chair, puts a hand gently on his shoulder. Eddie looks up and smiles weakly. Maybe that’s one good thing. Whatever’s going to happen to them, their primes aren’t going to get any more of their organs.

 

* * *

 

 

They are loaded in one of the SUVs. There aren’t any accommodations for Eddie’s chair, so he’s unceremoniously dumped in the backseat, the chair wheeled back inside the institute. All four of them are packed in, Eddie squeezed between Annie and Maria, Dora pushed up against the window. Annie looks out of the window ravenously, eyes devouring the world as the car starts, inches out through the gates after the limousine.

Eddie’s seen outside once, when Carl Brock had blown out both eardrums and Eddie had been rushed to hospital for his first donation. There hadn’t been time for an ambulance, and he had been able to see out of the car window for the entire ride. Annie’s eyes dance over the blooming parks, the endless trees, the rolling fields they pass through. The SUV stinks of cigarette smoke and Eddie’s stomach lurches, he’s starting to feel sick.

Maria is talking, Eddie hadn’t seen it at first, but she’s pressed up beside Dora, bent close like she’s whispering to her- she’s describing what they’re passing, Eddie realizes. He swallows to try and keep down the nausea- he really doesn’t want to be sick here. He tries to even his breathing, but his one remaining lung is aching and raw from the exertion already. Dora smiles and holds Maria’s hand, squeezing her in encouragement.

The bald guy in the front seat turns. “Shut up!” He raises a hand to slap Maria and she recoils. Eddie bares his teeth, hands clenching into fists. The guy grins mockingly at Eddie. “Got something to say, organ bank?” He raises a fist; it’s easily twice as large as Eddie’s. Eddie grits his teeth against carsickness and anger and turns back to the window. The nodding autumn trees beckoning them.

Then they are passing through open gates, the massive building hulking white against the hillside. Men and women in white coats are waiting outside. Four gurneys. Annie sees them and pales, takes Eddie’s hand and squeezes. Eddie squeezes back. His stomach rebels and it’s not just motion sickness now. If he’s going to be sick, he hopes he can get it all over those spotless white lab coats.

The car stops, the door opens. Baldy comes over to pull them out. Annie stumbles out quickly, hugging herself against the cold. Eddie tries to pull himself out- but his legs _blaze_ with pain the moment he tries to put any weight on them and he lurches, almost falling out. Baldy grabs him by the back of his shirt and drags him up, half dragging, half carrying him to the gurney.

Eddie tries to sit up, but one of the white coats steps forwards and pushes him back down. Eddie turns his head to snarl at her- and stops.

She’s wearing the dark-tinted glasses from a recent eye donation, but behind them- oh god he knows those eyes. He’d seen those eyes only a few weeks ago.

He looks back at Dora, breath stuttering painfully. Back at the woman, but her face is calm and set, pointedly not looking at Dora. Probably she already knew, she might have even suggested they use her second for this- whatever this is.

Maria is shoved down beside him. Dora is steered harshly over to hers. They’re starting to strap them down when Annie does it. Attention is on the three of them and Annie looks at Eddie, at Dora, at Maria. At the man in the perfect suit, the woman with Dora’s eyes. There’s a blaze of rage in her eyes and then she turns, and runs - faster than anyone Eddie has ever seen - for the open gates.

He cannot breathe, and for a moment it’s got nothing to do with his missing lung. Annie’s ragged hair streams out behind her, her bare legs flashing in a blur, feet barely touching the asphalt. The woman sees Eddie staring, turns her stolen eyes to see what he’s looking at.

“ _Run!”_ Eddie screams- or tries to scream. The air leaves his lung, rattles in his throat. He can feel the vibrations of it through the base of his skull.

Everyone is shouting, so loudly Eddie can feel it in his chest. Baldy pulls out a gun and Maria shrieks- but the man in the suit moves first, grabbing it and shouting something Eddie can’t read. Four white coats are running after Annie, they’re trying to close the gates-

“Come on-“ Eddie breathes, “Come on come on come on-“

Annie’s still running, tearing out towards the gates. Her eyes are fixed on the road beyond, teeth bared and white. The people at the gate are getting up too, struggling out of their guard boxes-

But Annie is too fast; the gates slam shut a heartbeat behind her, catching on her shirt. She doesn’t even slow, turning to let it tear off her, one last desperate look back at the three of them-

“Go!” Eddie howls after her. “Fuck! Run-“ The woman slaps him so hard the world blanks out, his teeth rattle and his ears are a burst of agony.

When he can open his eyes again, Annie is gone. Everyone is screaming at each other, too fast for Eddie to read much. He gets a flash of _get your people out and find-_ and a snarled _can’t get far, no one’ll help_ -

Then suit guy turns back to them, eyes narrow with rage. “Get them inside.” He snaps to the woman, “Get them prepped for testing.”  


* * *

 

 

The technicians and doctors don’t bother to talk to each other when testing them, let alone to Eddie. They take his blood, check his eyes, blood pressure. It’s- all so fucking familiar. Three times already, over and over, every time a little less of himself to test.

But not for Annie. Eddie closes his eyes in benediction. Annie will never have to undergo this. She’s free, away into the blank white unknown beyond what any of them know. He hopes it’s good. He hopes she can be happy there. She will live longer, at least; no donations, no primes demanding more and more.

The woman with Dora’s eyes gives him a tube to blow into; Eddie manages a weak wheeze, barely moving the dial. She glances at the readings, and makes a note, not even looking at Eddie. She takes it away and he doubles over, dredging it in breath after breath until the world stops spinning.

The door opens when they’re about to wheel him out. It’s suit guy. He looks at Eddie and scowls, the woman must have said something, because he snarls back, so angry it’s hard to read. “Nothing! She must have gone into the bay, one big goddamn loss and this Karen Waying wanting compensation-“

Eddie can’t see what the woman says, but suit guy falls into step beside his gurney, and he can still watch him. “We’re just going to have to go on without a control subject, this time.”

A pause.

“Why, Doctor Skirth, are you volunteering?”

Then there’s nothing else, so that must have shut her up. Eddie sees a flicker of white from the corner of his eye- the smooth motion of a gurney through the glass- but then it’s gone, before Eddie can see who it was.

This- might be it. Eddie swallows against his too-dry throat, breath stuttering. He knew he wouldn’t survive another donation, he’d known it was coming, but- he’d thought he’d at least get to say goodbye. To Dora, Maria, Dan-

Annie. Maybe there, he’s not sorry. He closes his eyes, the world cutting out but for touch and smell. He draws her in his mind; running, brave and fearless and _free_. They won’t catch her. She’ll be safe now, far away from the hospices and donation centers. Maybe- she might remember them, and some of Eddie will survive _somewhere_.

Light presses against his eyelids. They’ve gone into somewhere brightly lit. The gurney slows, then stops, Eddie feels the shake as the gurney is released, the faint vibrations as the footsteps pull away, a door closes. He draws in a deep breath, opens his eyes.

The light is so bright, he can’t see at first, a fog of bright lighting burning his eyes until he’s blinking away tears. White lights, white floor, the gleaming glass of the walls reflecting it all until Eddie is pulling helplessly at the straps, turning his head one way and another to shake off the pain.

He chokes back pain; outside the room, he can see a line of doctors- also in white. Suit guy must be saying something, but he’s got his back to the room, and Eddie can’t read what he’s saying. He turns away, to the rest of the room- and stops.

White room, white lights, white coats. But this, in the middle of the room, is not. It swirls in a massive glass tube, so impossibly black in the blinding room it seems like a hole in the world. It moves like oil in water, twisting and coiling over and over, as though impatient to be released.

It pauses, as though aware Eddie is looking at it. Rises like a wave and throws itself at the glass- at Eddie. The tube rocks and Eddie jumps, the gurney shuddering. He looks back at the rows of white coats, desperately- what are they going to do to him?

Suit guy is watching him, a small, satisfied smile on his face. He says something- maybe even to Eddie, but he’s shaking too hard to pay attention to his mouth. “Please no.” Eddie whispers, the words vibrating in his head. “Please-“

It’s useless. He’s never been worth more than the sum of his body parts. Suit guy presses a button and Eddie thrashes against the straps, screaming soundlessly as the tube slowly opens.

The thing splatters out , thick and hulking and spilling out and up towards him like a bag of spiders. Eddie chokes and he can’t breathe, his heart hammering madly in his chest, but his lung can’t keep up, the world fogs with red, his vision blurring as the thing swarms up the gurney. Eddie tries to cry out as it brushes over his feet- heavy and cool, like clear water gone solid- but there is nothing to cry out with. The last of his thin breath wheezes out, and his throat locks when he tries to drag in more.

The thing crawls up, over his wasted legs but it’s already disappearing into dark blotches as his vision fades. Eddie shudders, struggles to drag in a breath. The thing washes up, over his stomach and Eddie makes one last desperate surge to breathe as the thing plunges into his chest- and he blacks out.

 


End file.
